Lottery officials: Powerball winner is man in 30s

PHOENIX (AP) - The second Powerball winner in last week's $577.5 million drawing is a married man in his 30s from Fountain Hills, Ariz., lottery officials said Friday.

The man bought one of two tickets in the drawing, but he isn't stepping into the spotlight just yet. State officials haven't released his name.

"He and his wife couldn't believe it." lottery official Karen Bach said. "They checked the numbers over and over again - absolutely shocked."

The winner opted to take the cash option of $192 million. He declined to take part in the news conference held in Phoenix.

The ticket was sold at a convenience store in Fountain Hills, northeast of Phoenix.

Lottery officials wouldn't release the name or address of the winner.

A mechanic and his wife, Mark and Cindy Hill, of Dearborn, Mo., already have claimed their half of the multistate Powerball prize.

The jackpot was the second-largest in U.S. history and set off a nationwide buying frenzy. At one point, tickets were selling at nearly 130,000 a minute.

Before the Nov. 28 drawing, the jackpot had rolled over 16 consecutive times without anyone hitting the jackpot. In a Mega Millions drawing in March, three ticket buyers shared a $656 million jackpot, the largest lottery payout of all time.

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